Thursday, December 8, 2016
Friday, December 2, 2016
my feeling about Child abuse compo
Lets imagine i crashed into your car had no insurance nor did you so i gave you a letter of apology and $10 towards your repair would you be happy well thats how i feel about being offered a tiny payout for 40 years of abuse it would have been acceptable at the time but as the govt have dragged it out for years and cost us as unable to work because refused rehab so have suffered more because of it its also affected our relationships and our children so yes to be honest it is about the money as how dose less then 1,000 a year compensate for the abuse not just by our abusers but by the govt drawing it out for year after year fighting us at every turn and unjust amounts some got 100,000 and where well enough to work all their life and coped mentally others like me had to pay lawyers 36,000 to get 35,000 how is that right and i have not coped mentally been in and out of work because of it so the system is broken unjust and unfair i know others who paid 10,000 to a lawyer to get 10,000 for terrible abuses so it has to be about the money so we have enough to rebuild our life and pay for the rehab we need to be able to finally have a almost normal life or whats left of it as many many studies have proven people abused and made mentally ill have a 10 to 15 year shortened life span also adds to the abuse
a state apology is grate but it dose not fix the damage they did just like the $10 towards fixing your car did little for you and if i was not mentally damaged by the trauma of the brain damage done by the ECT who knows i might have been the PM earning a nice living instead of living most of life hand to mouth on a benefit. now if all this was felt with very early on things would be much different its hard when we have been told what happened to us was wrong but the people who abused us where never told what they did was wrong nor did they get punished for their crime even when you swear an affidavit with 30 others all saying the same thing and police don't even have the decency to interview you abused again so no its not about millions but its about whats right and fair and just for not just the short time we where kids and abused but for the many years since we have had to suffer and fight to be heard and be ridiculed and called liars
so do you understand if so good if no go to your kitchen take your best plate out of the cupboard throw it on the ground now say sorry to it, was it fixed? did it get back together somehow no you need to buy some glue and rehab it but it will never ever be the same plate
Friday, November 25, 2016
Child abuse report 'shut down by '@chrisfinlaysonMP because the abuse was so shocking it would harm the @NZNational party
A former Human Rights Commissioner is accusing the government of killing off a critical report on the way it handled hundreds of cases of children abused in state care.
The report was written when Ros Noonan was Chief Human Rights Commissioner in 2011.
Chief Human Rights Commissioner David Rutherford said he and a team of lawyers found the report's conclusions were legally flawed. Photo: 123RF
It was never published because, she says, the Attorney General Chris Finlayson did not like its recommendations.
Many children in state care between the 1950s and 1980s suffered abuse and neglect that scarred them for life.
In 2009 the UN Committee Against Torture raised concerns about how New Zealand handled historic abuse claims. In 2011 the Human Rights Commission launched a review.
Ms Noonan said the draft report recommended an independent inquiry be set up. She did not think the Ministry for Social Development was impartial enough to handle victim's complaints.
Attorney General Chris Finlayson replied in a letter that he disagreed and the ministry was fair and impartial.
Ms Noonan believed Mr Finlayson was motivated by fears an independent inquiry would expose the government to liability.
"My clear impression is that he was trying to shut down the inquiry and the report. I think, clearly, he was concerned there would be a public interest in there being an independent inquiry and the government didn't want that."
Ms Noonan, who is the director of the Human Rights Centre at Auckland University Law School, was angered by Mr Finlayson's response - and that the report was not published.
"It's infuriating and sort of puzzling. I can't see, other than the cost of compensation, how New Zealand wouldn't be better off if we knew what had happened, we were able as a society to apologise to those our system damaged and we could make sure we didn't make the same mistakes in the future."
Noonan's successor, chief Human Rights Commissioner David Rutherford, said he and a team of lawyers found the report's conclusions were legally flawed. That was why it was not published.
He said the UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment) did not require an independent inquiry in such cases, only that the process was impartial.
The real issue to focus on was if the MSD process was impartial enough, he said.
Victims do not trust government - judge
Judge Carolyn Henwood was the chair of the Confidential Listening and Assistance Service, which heard testimony from more than 1100 victims of state abuse.
She wanted an independent body that holds MSD accountable and can investigate historic claims.
Mr Rutherford did not disagree.
"I would listen to Carolyn Henwood's view any day of the week over anyone else who's dealt with this stuff. We are definitely of the view, and it's different from this MSD claims process, that New Zealanders need to understand what happened here."
Judge Henwood's panel, which the government intended as a temporary measure, was disestablished in 2015.
The Ministry had set up an historic abuse claims unit before CLAS started.
Judge Henwood said many victims did not trust it.
"The department is the perpetrator and also the person trying to put it right. Some people are very, very anti the department because of all the harm and the way they've been dealt with over the years. So I don't think it's satisfactory and it's still not satisfactory. I think something independent is needed."
Attorney General Chris Finlayson declined to be interviewed, but a spokesperson said in a written statement:
"In 2011 the Chief Human Rights Commissioner invited the Attorney-General, along with a range of other parties, to consult over the Commission's report on the State's response to historic claims of abuse.
"The Attorney-General raised a number of concerns he had about the quality and objectivity of the report for their consideration."
Aaron Smale Te Manu Korihi Reporter aaron.smale@radionz.co.nz
|
Thursday, November 10, 2016
why i am so angry with NZ Government
well just imagine that you yourself as a young 15-year-old boy were raped and tortured and went to the police and told them only to have the police tell you that you are just another mentally defective trouble maker and refuse to investigate in fact threaten to arrest you so you take off and the anger builds so you keep fighting and years later have another go only with 30 other people swearing on oath the same thing happened to them so police spend years investigating < delaying > only to come back and say without even interviewing us sorry we can't find enough evidence to press charges. then 10 years later apologize for missing some evidence that would be good enough to bring him to trial only the government won't extradite Dr. Selwyn Leeks from Australia to stand trial as it would embarrass them as he was a state employee abusing wards of the state children.
so we go to the UN who ruled we should get access to full rehab and proper compensation only the NZ govt won't have a bar of it and say they have done enough for the survivors ha they have done nothing for me the lying pricks so now can you understand my anger.
well as you should be angry too due to the millions that have been spent on lawyers over the last 40 years trying to stop us from getting justice so if you think you can get justice in NZ think again but I will never give up and will keep attacking what ever party is in power with the facts until my dying day
visit https://www.facebook.com/groups/190198281412498/
so we go to the UN who ruled we should get access to full rehab and proper compensation only the NZ govt won't have a bar of it and say they have done enough for the survivors ha they have done nothing for me the lying pricks so now can you understand my anger.
well as you should be angry too due to the millions that have been spent on lawyers over the last 40 years trying to stop us from getting justice so if you think you can get justice in NZ think again but I will never give up and will keep attacking what ever party is in power with the facts until my dying day
visit https://www.facebook.com/groups/190198281412498/
UN Committee against Torture finds NZ in Violation of Abuse Claimants Human Rights
Boy 'Tortured' just like NZ Govt treated its child... http://kiwijustice2.blogspot.com/2016/07/boy-tortured-just-like-nz-govt-treated.html?spref=tw
Thursday, October 13, 2016
Psychiatrist Faces Trial over Claim Electroshock Therapy Damaged Cardiologist’s Brain
Posted by Arlin Crisco on Oct 11, 2016 11:36:39 PM
West Palm Beach, FL—Trial is scheduled to begin this week against a South Florida psychiatrist accused of negligence in overseeing electroshock treatments that allegedly left a cardiologist with brain damage. Dadi v. Sharma, 2011CA16027.
According to court documents, cardiologist Dr. Shaul Dadi claims psychiatrist Dr. Praturi Sharma oversaw electroshock therapy, otherwise known as electroconvulsive therapy or ECT, on Dadi in 2010 without obtaining the his informed consent. Dadi contends the ECT, intended to treat his depression following the breakup of his medical practice, was delivered in voltage bursts far beyond typical standards under the circumstances.
HubSpot Call-to-Action Code
end HubSpot Call-to-Action Code
Dadi claims the treatments have left him with brain damage and severe memory loss, according to his complaint in the case.
In response, Sharma contends he properly obtained informed consent, followed appropriate treatment standards, and claims Dadi’s own negligence was the cause of any long-term injury following ECT, according to court documents.
During an ECT procedure, electric currents are passed through a patient’s brain, triggering a brief seizure. According to the Mayo Clinic website, physicians believe ECT can change a patient’s brain chemistry, reversing some types of depression and other mental health issues.
Trial in the case is expected to last at least a week. CVN will provide live gavel-to-gavel coverage of the trial.
Email Arlin Crisco at acrisco@cvn.com.
Related Information
Dr. Shaul Dadi is represented by Jeffery Fenster, of Fenster & Cohen P.A. and Nancy La Vista of Clark, Fountain, La Vista, Prather, Keen & Littky-Rubin.
Dr. Praturi Sharma is represented by Cole, Scott & Kissane’s Michael Brand and Jami Gursky.
Not a subscriber?
Saturday, October 1, 2016
Tuesday, September 27, 2016
links to sites on nz mental health abuse in NZ
2004-0626 - NZ Herald - Cold case parents' agony
by Stephen Cook - The death certificate said James Kake died of a severe asthma attack, but his family were never convinced. Now they are joining the growing chorus of calls seeking a public inquiry into claims of serious abuse at mental hospitals. 2004-0623 - The Press - Desperate days at Sunnyside recalled By Kamala Hayman - Sally (not her real name) knew she was not like other girls. Withdrawn and depressed, she was secretly scrubbing her stomach with sandpaper. Sometimes she would grab a piece of broken glass, a razor blade – anything sharp – and slice into her arms and legs. She had started self-harming when she was 12 years old…………… 2004-0623 - The Press - Abuse victims call for Govt inquiry By Kamala Hayman - A woman subjected to years of shock treatment and threatened with a lobotomy while a teenage patient at Christchurch's Sunnyside Hospital in the 1960s is seeking an inquiry. The woman, now aged 56, is joining more than 200 former child psychiatric patients nationwide taking legal action against the Government over alleged mistreatment during the 1960s and 1970s. 2004-0623 - NZ Parliament - Questions for Oral Answer Psychiatric Institutions—Abuse - Ron Mark (NZ First) to the Attorney-General: Will she be ordering an inquiry into claims of serious abuse at psychiatric institutions during the 1960s and 1970s; if not, why not? 2004-0621 - NZ Herald - Abuse complaints 'should be believed' by Martin Johnston - The more than 200 former psychiatric patients claiming compensation for mistreatment should be believed because of the sheer force of their numbers, a lawyer says. Sonja Cooper, who represents more than half the claimants, said their credibility was established by so many people recounting similar experiences. 2004-0620 - Newstalk ZB - Abuse inquiries flow in There has been a steady stream of inquiries from former employees and patients over abuse allegations at psychiatric hospitals. Almost 200 official complaints have been made by people who allege they were physically and sexually abused in state mental health hospitals in the 1960s and 1970s. 2004-0619 - The Press - Nelson abuse claims Four former patients of Ngawhatu Psychiatric Hospital in Nelson have lodged formal complaints of abuse at the institution, including allegations of experimentation on patients. Almost 200 complaints have been made by people who allege they were abused in mental health hospitals around New Zealand during the 1960s and 1970s. 2004-0619 - NZ Herald - Witness to boy's death believes there was a cover-up by Stephen Cook - A chill cuts through the air as Stephen Lindsay slumps on to his sofa bed. As he pores over pages of crumpled documents trying to piece together his thoughts, his eyes suddenly bulge and dart to the other side of his cramped and cluttered haunt. Then his composure melts. …….. 2004-0619 - NZ Herald - Mother wants to know how son died at psychiatric hospital by Martin Johnston - Clement Matthews' mother wants the police to get to the truth about his death in Kingseat mental hospital 36 years ago. Rebecca Matthews, 63, said yesterday that she first learned of the police re-opening their investigation into the 1968 death of 11-year-old Clement in last week's Weekend Herald. 2004-0618 - NZ Herald - More allegations of abuse at mental institution NZPA - Four former patients of Ngawhatu Psychiatric Hospital in Nelson have lodged formal complaints of abuse at the institution, including allegations of experimentation on patients. Almost 200 complaints have been made by people who allege they were abused in mental health hospitals around New Zealand during the 1960s and 1970s. Wellington lawyer Roger Chapman said today a "steady number" of former patients of Ngawhatu Hospital were now coming forward. 2004-0618 - Nelson Mail - Abuse complaints mount against psychiatric hospital by Sheriee Smith - Four more former patients of Ngawhatu psychiatric hospital have lodged formal complaints of alleged abuse at the institution - including claims of experimentation on patients. Almost 200 complaints have been made by people who allege they were abused in mental health hospitals around New Zealand during the 1960s and 1970s. 2004-0615 - NZ Herald - PM ponders response to psychiatric abuse allegations by Audrey Young - The Prime Minister yesterday raised the possibility that complaints about abuse in mental hospital could be dealt with through mediation. However, she said the Government needed more information before it decided between that approach or an inquiry. 2004-0614 - NZ Herald - More patients say they were abused in asylums by Martin Johnston - More former patients have come forward alleging that they were abused in mental asylums during the 1960s and 1970s. The Weekend Herald revealed that the claims of widespread mistreatment that were previously confined to the former Porirua and Lake Alice asylums encompass most of the closed mental hospitals from Auckland to Otago. 2004-0614 - Nelson Mail - Nelson patients alleging abuse The Government is considering an inquiry into claims of serious abuse at mental health hospitals, Prime Minister Helen Clark said today. Almost 200 complaints have been made by former patients who allege they were abused in mental asylums during the 1960s and 1970s. 2004-0612 - One News - Police reopen 1960s Kingseat case The death of an 11-year-old boy nearly four decades ago at an Auckland psychiatric hospital is being investigated again by police. The case has been reopened after a witness spoke out against the original coroner's findings. The case is also adding weight to calls for a commission of inquiry into claims of abuse at psychiatric institutions in the 1960s and '70s. 2004-0612 - NZ Herald - Woman recalls Tokanui trauma by Martin Johnston - Mary was put in Tokanui mental hospital in 1968 to help her to recover from depression. Aged 18, she was depressed after the birth of a baby, the second of her four children. But instead of receiving help, Mary says, she suffered beatings and sexual abuse, and was left damaged by electro-convulsive therapy (ECT). 2004-0612 - NZ Herald - Police re-open boy's hospital death case after 36 years by Martin Johnston - The police have re-opened the 36-year-old case of a boy's death at Kingseat psychiatric hospital south of Auckland, after a witness said a nurse beat the youngster. A 1968 coroner's finding that 11-year-old Clement Matthews died of pneumonia has been challenged by former patient Stephen Lindsay, who was 14 at the time. He says he saw a male nurse attack Clement 12 hours before he was found dying in his locked room. 2004-0612 - Newstalk ZB - 200-plus abuse claims from ex-psych patients Lawyers are expecting a landslide of abuse claims from former psychiatric patients. More than 200 claims, alleging physical abuse in state-run institutions, are believed to be in the pipeline. Police have reopened the 36-year-old case of Clement Matthews, who was ruled to have died of pneumonia at Kingseat psychiatric hospital, south of Auckland. 2004-0602 - Dominion Post - Porirua abuse claims rise to 130 The number of claims against the Crown for alleged physical, sexual and mental abuse at Porirua Hospital during the 1960s and 70s had risen to about 130 by yesterday. One of the lawyers spearheading the legal action, Sonja Cooper, said more claims were expected. "People find it difficult to talk about this kind of abuse and for some it can take months or even years to summon up the courage." 2004-0601 - Dominion Post - Patient abuse claims investigated Complaints of mistreatment of former patients at Porirua Hospital are under investigation by the Crown Law Office, it has been revealed. Prime Minister Helen Clark and Attorney-General Margaret Wilson have left the door open to an inquiry but say the complaints must be investigated first. Ms Wilson confirmed yesterday that the Crown was investigating 62 claims about treatment at various psychiatric institutions, including Porirua, and a further 44 complaints were likely to be filed. 2004-0531 - One News - Crown probes alleged patient abuse The Attorney General says the Crown is currently investigating 62 allegations of past abuse of patients at psychiatric hospitals. Margaret Wilson issued a statement on Monday afternoon in response to claims by former patients on the Sunday programme that they were physically abused by staff at Porirua Hospital in the 1960s and 1970s. 2004-0531 - NZ Government - Post Cabinet Press Conference Rt. Hon Helen Clark - Media: Is the government considering any sort of inquiry into the allegations of abuse at Porirua? PM: That has been referred to Crown Law and the Attorney-General. We’re investigating 62 claims, which have been filed, and I understand Margaret Wilson will have a statement out later today. 2004-0323 - Manawatu Standard - Lake Alice decision delay upsets victims A preliminary decision about laying charges against former Lake Alice Hospital staff who allegedly abused and tortured children in the 1970s is expected next month. The Crown Law Office is expected to give the Police Commissioner's Office its advice within weeks. Then Commissioner Robert Robinson will decide whether to lay charges. 2004-0306 - Manawatu Standard - Raped and tortured: A New Zealand childhood The demons of Lake Alice still haunt the people who lost their childhoods there. Lee Matthews talks to a survivor. "We were doomed people in Lake Alice because nobody helped us. We soon learned not to complain. We knew nobody would listen." |
|
The Government is cynically banking on former pyschiatric patients giving up and going away by making justice too difficult to attain, say former Lake Alice Hospital residents in Palmerston North.
by Kamala Hayman - A former Christchurch psychiatric patient, subjected to years of shock treatment and threatened with a lobotomy, has dismissed as a "waste of time" Government plans to hear abuse claims in a confidential forum ……………… But a former Sunnyside patient, still living in Christchurch, could not see the point of the forum nor of further counselling.
NZPA - Former psychiatric hospital patients claiming compensation for abusive treatment are angered by Government plans to set up a confidential forum instead of an inquiry, their lawyers say. Attorney-General Margaret Wilson yesterday said former psychiatric patients who claimed to have suffered abuse while in hospital would be able to talk about their experiences at a confidential forum.
The Government has rejected calls to set up an inquiry into the allegations by hundreds of former patients that they were abused in psychiatric hospitals. Instead, it is creating a special forum to hear the stories of former patients, their families and hospital staff - forcing people who want compensation to go through the courts. Attorney-General Margaret Wilson said the forum, chaired by ombudsman and former judge Anand Satyanand, would refer people where necessary to the appropriate agencies, such as ACC, the Health and Disability Commissioner or the police. It could also refer people for state-paid counselling.
by Fran Tyler - Former psychiatric patients who say they were abused by hospital staff are angry at the Government's refusal to hold a public inquiry. Attorney-General Margaret Wilson yesterday announced plans to instead establish a non-public forum to allow former patients, their families and hospital staff an avenue to air their complaints and stories.
Former psychiatric patients who claim they have suffered abuse will be given an opportunity to tell their stories at a confidential forum. The government is setting up the forum so former patients, their families and former staff can gain acknowledgement of their experiences. Attorney-General Margaret Wilson says they looked carefully at holding an inquiry, but many former psychiatric patients wanted a way to talk about their stories.
A group representing former mental health service users is outraged that the government is setting up a confidential forum to hear their claims of abuse. About 300 former patients have made complaints about their treatment at mental hospitals across New Zealand when most were aged between eight and 16. They have alleged beatings and sexual abuse by staff and other patients, excessive use of electro-shock treatment and drugs and solitary confinement.
Press Release by Margaret Wilson - The government will establish a forum for former psychiatric patients who claim to have suffered abuse while in hospital, Attorney-General Margaret Wilson announced today. The Confidential Forum for Former In-Patients of Psychiatric Hospitals will invite former patients, their families and hospital staff members to tell the stories of their experiences in psychiatric institutions. "The forum is designed to give former patients a chance to talk about their experiences in a non-critical and confidential environment," Margaret Wilson said.
A new forum is being set up for former psychiatric patients who claim to have been abused while in institutions. Former patients, their families and hospital staff will be able to talk openly of their experiences. Attorney-General Margaret Wilson says it will be a confidential and non-critical forum, chaired by an Ombudsman and administered by the Internal Affairs Department and Health Ministry.
The Attorney-General says compensation issues must be kept separate from a new forum for psychiatric patients who claim they were abused. The Confidential Forum for Former In-Patients of Psychiatric Hospitals, run by the Health Ministry and Internal Affairs, will provide a way for former psychiatric patients to formally register their claims. It will invite former patients, their families and hospital staff members to tell of their experiences.
For Hake Halo, Lake Alice Hospital was a place of terror which overshadowed the rest of his life. Now just a collection of run-down rural buildings with cows munching grass outside, in the 1970s it was the place where the then teenaged Hake says he was punished with electric shocks and painful injections by nurses and doctors trying to alter youngsters' behaviour.
An almost audible sigh can be heard from New Zealanders as they contemplate yet another labyrinthine case of institutional abuse and the liturgy of apologies and compensation that will inevitably go with it. After the St John of God, Porirua Mental Hospital, Nazareth House, Salvation Army and prison solitary confinement affairs, and others, we could do without the deep flesh wound that is beginning to suppurate at Waiouru
by Fran Tyler - Former psychiatric patients and social welfare children taking cases against the Crown over alleged abuse have accused the Government of discrimination. When news broke of allegations by army cadets that they suffered abuse between the 1950s and 1980s, Defence Minister Mark Burton immediately promised an independent investigation, one of the groups' lawyers, Sonja Cooper, said.
The number of claims alleging abuse and mistreatment at psychiatric hospitals during the 1960s and 1970s is continuing to climb. The Crown Law Office says there are now 77 individual claims from former patients, many of them relating to Porirua Hospital
by Amanda Warren - A group seeking redress for alleged abuse in psychiatric hospitals hopes huge public response will bolster its calls for Government action. Helen Gilbert, a spokeswoman for psychiatric survivor groups, said calls had been flowing in to groups around the country following the coalition's July call for a new method of compensation.
Calls have been flowing into psych survivor groups around the country from people seeking redress over historic abuse received in New Zealand mental institutions. Spokesperson for the coalition of groups Helen Gilbert says that since the groups first called for the Government to set-up a redress process in July there has been a steady stream of phone calls to consumer groups around the country from vulnerable people wanting to tell their stories.
People continue to come forward alleging abuse and mistreatment by psychiatric hospital staff at Porirua and other hospitals. Wellington lawyer Roger Chapman, with lawyer Sonja Cooper, is spearheading action against the Crown on behalf of those claiming physical, emotional and sexual abuse at the hospitals in the 1960s and 1970s.
by Haydon Dewes - More people continue to come forward to allege abuse and mistreatment at the hands of psychiatric hospital staff at Porirua and other hospitals. More than 300 people had come forward and that number was climbing, said Wellington lawyer Roger Chapman, who with lawyer Sonja Cooper is spearheading action against the Crown on behalf of those claiming physical, emotional and sexual abuse at the hospitals in the 1960s and 70s.
The number of claims alleging abuse and mistreatment at psychiatric hospitals during the 1960s and 70s is continuing to climb, as more former patients come forward. The Crown Law Office says there are now 77 individual claims from former patients - many of them relating to Porirua Hospital.
NZPA - Attorney-General Margaret Wilson says she is exploring ways for former psychiatric patients to avoid court cases if they want to when they seek compensation for their abuse claims. The historic allegations surfaced earlier this year and cover claims of widespread mistreatment at most of New Zealand's mental hospitals in the 1960s and 1970s. Ms Wilson said yesterday that so far 68 individual claims had been filed in the High Court and she understood more than 300 people had not yet filed.
Attorney-General Margaret Wilson has indicated to former psychiatric patients with abuse claims that she is willing to consider negotiated settlements if they want to avoid going through the courts. The claims in question largely relate to those from former Porirua Hospital patients.
by Martin Johnston - The police are taking too long to investigate criminal complaints against psychiatrist Selwyn Leeks, say supporters of patients behind the claims. On Saturday, the Weekend Herald revealed that the Government had paid a further $4.2 million in compensation to former psychiatric patients at Lake Alice Hospital, in addition to the $6.5 million paid to 95 others in 2001.
Psychiatric survivor groups are banding together in their fight for compensation for the institutional torture and abuse they suffered at the hands of the state. Human rights advocate Helen Gilbert said thousands of people had experienced abuse and torture at the hands of the state, ranging from electric shock treatment, medication and seclusion as punishment to unnecessary long-term incarceration.
Former mental health patients are calling for the Government to set up a national process to deal with historic claims of abuse at psychiatric intitutions. The Psych Survivors Redress Coalition, which represents patient groups across the country, is making the call following recent reports of abuse of patients at Porirua hospital.
by Martin Johnston - The Government has paid a second wave of former psychiatric patients about $47,000 each, on average, in compensation for abuse they suffered at Lake Alice Hospital. The 88 who received the $4.2 million were patients of the hospital's notorious child and adolescent unit, run by psychiatrist Selwyn Leeks.
By Martin Johnston - Action to settle former mental hospital patients' compensation claims against the Crown for alleged abuse may be about to begin. Crown Law (the Government's lawyers) has arranged to meet lawyers acting for more than 200 former patients.
by Fran Tyler - Publicity over abuse at Porirua and other psychiatric hospitals has led to the number of claimants rising to more than 300 since legal action was first revealed two years ago. Wellington lawyer Sonja Cooper, one of those spearheading the joint action against the Crown, says of those at least 200 are claiming physical, emotional or sexual abuse at Porirua during the 1960s and 1970s. So far 65 claims have been filed in the High Court.
By Fran Tyler - Publicity over abuse at Porirua and other psychiatric hospitals has led to the number of claimants rising to more than 300 since legal action was first revealed by The Dominion Post two years ago. Wellington lawyer Sonja Cooper, one of those spearheading the joint action against the Crown, says that of those at least 200 are claiming physical, emotional or sexual abuse at Porirua during the 1960s and 70s.
by Phil Taylor - Brutal treatment of patients was the culture of the Porirua Mental Hospital in the 1960s, four former workers have said. The four women told the Weekend Herald that electric shock treatment was routinely used as punishment and patients were drugged into zombie-like states to make them more manageable. The women - students at the time - said part of their duties was to hold patients down while shock treatment was applied.
by Sheriee Smith - Complaints of serious mistreatment of patients at Ngawhatu Psychiatric Hospital are mounting. Since the Government announced last month it was looking at more than 200 complaints of abuse at psychiatric hospitals around New Zealand, nine former patients at Nelson's Ngawhatu Hospital have lodged claims with Wellington lawyer Roger Chapman.
|
|||||
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)